


What would I pay to stay here beside you

by pepperimps01



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling, The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Disney AU, F/M, Little Mermaid AU!, M/M, The little mermaid - Freeform, mermaid!albus, scorpius is prince eric, tags are weird, teddy is scuttle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22580179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperimps01/pseuds/pepperimps01
Summary: Albus is a merman fascinated with human life. Scorpius is a sailor who longs to be reunited with his father. What happens when they cross paths?Otherwise known as "That Little Mermaid AU no one asked for"
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 22
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Deep royal blue waves splashed with rage, swirling amongst the terrifying realm of the ocean. The horizon, bright blue and peachy pink sky was a never ending blanket of cotton clouds, dotting the sky. The sun's rays shimmered, reflecting off the water. Seafoam scattered above the water, bubbling playfully ever so often with each passing wave. The sea decided to be calm for once, making the ship crossing it have an easier ride. This ship was massive, riding over the waves with ease. Scorpius Malfoy a new sailor, was never a fan of boats, more specifically, this particular boat. Especially since he was frequently seasick and was disgusted by the taste of fish. However that was the only job he could manage, since all he had to do was mop the deck, that was the job they believed he was most capable of. He was probably the lowest sailor there, but the last thing he wanted to do was upset the captain by complaining. Polly Chapman was fierce, and though she was the only woman on board, it was rumoured that she killed a man in cold blood for steering the boat port instead of starboard. While he assumed it was just a rumour, he did not want to test her temper or patience. 

Still, he wasn't a fan of mopping, or the constant rocking movement of the ship, which made his stomach churn and lurch forward. He wasn't sure this job was worth it, especially not the traveling but the destination was. They were traveling back to England, and that's where his father was. It had been 18 months since he had last seen him, let alone heard from him and the emptiness he felt was indescribable. Though he now was always with other people, he still felt empty. But perhaps they would finally reunite. His grey eyes watched the sky with hope that maybe his dream would become a reality.

"You've been mopping that same spot for the past ten minutes." Polly commented, her voice slightly amused. Scorpius jumped. He hadn't even heard her footsteps. 

"Oh! Erm...sorry. I'm really sorry. I got distracted. Sorry." He faced her hesitantly. 

Polly raised an eyebrow, but didn't look cross. She tucked a strand of hair out of her face back into her hat, and sighed. "I don't need my crew daydreaming, Malfoy. So quit moping, and start mopping. That's an order." She turned her heels, clearly pleased with the joke she made and started to yell at poor Craig Bowker Jr who was napping on the crow's nest. The boy woke up screaming, nearly falling off in surprise and fright. Scorpius would be lying if he didn't feel a little pity for him. 

The moment he picked up his discarded mop, his eyes wandered to the sea. As much as it terrified him, he could see the beauty of it. Somewhat. Listening to the waves below and the seagull cries above was calming in fact. He leaned just a bit over, concentrating on the water, watching his reflection float along. If he ignored the occasional jolts from bigger waves, it was actually quite peaceful. Mostly. He still would rather not be here and instead on land where it was safe and secure.

But a single moment caused him to do a double take. It happened so quickly, that he half believed it to simply be his mind playing tricks on him. There was a long, scaly emerald tail, about ten feet in length swimming in between the waves. It disappeared from view for a moment, then popped up again, this time the sun reflected off its shimmering teal scales before disappearing underwater again. Not only that, but he heard what sounded like, a male voice vocalizing, singing quite beautifully. 

He backed up, nearly knocking over his mop, pale in the face and breathing heavily. He turned to the closest person, Yann Fredricks who was behind the wheel. 

"Did you- did you see that?" Scorpius sputtered, horrified. "Or hear it?" 

"See what?" Yann didn't even look up. He was used to Scorpius' shenanigans, and figured whatever he was blabbering about was no different. 

"The big fish! It was _huge!_ " He mimed with his arms roughly the length of the tail. "In the water!" He decided not to mention the singing. 

"Fish do live in the ocean, Scorpius." Yann reminded him, clicking his tongue condescendingly. 

"No, no I swear I saw something. Please just- just look!" Scorpius grabbed ahold of Yann's shoulders, pulling him towards the edge and pointing at the same spot in the water. "See it's right there!" 

Yann squinted, leaning forward to get a closer look. "Am I supposed to be seeing something?" He asked, looking back at Scorpius, puzzled. 

"Yes! Right _there_ you'll see-" Scorpius turned his head. "Absolutely nothing...wait what?" He double checked. Then triple checked. "I swear I saw something." He checked once more. Still nothing. 

"Look, Malfoy, I really have to get back to work. You do too. Maybe you just saw a big fish, and that's that." Yann shrugged, adjusting his red kerchief. 

"But it didn't look like any old nasty fish, it was-" 

"Malfoy." Yann interrupted with a glare. "I'm not repeating myself." 

Scorpius looked down at his boots in shame and embarrassment. Being told off was always humiliating. He did as he was told, but for the remainder of the day, his mind was fixated on that strange green tail...

💧

  


Albus couldn't hold back a giggle as he swam against the current, acid green tail flapping behind him. He had just seen the most amazing thing, and he knew he had to tell someone about it. 

"Albuuus!" Rose groaned from behind him, flicking her pink tail irritably. "Slow down! Honestly..." She rolled her eyes. "You're going to be in so much trouble, just you wait Albus Potter!" 

Albus paused, fighting the urge to ignore his obnoxious overbearing cousin. "Come on, I've got to tell Teddy about it!" 

"No, you don't!" Rose shot him a glare. "Your father told me to watch you, and I certainly don't trust that bloody bird. We are going back to the castle this instant!" 

Albus expression softened. "You're right Rose. I will." 

Rose relaxed. "Thank you-" 

"Kidding!" Albus stuck his tongue out cheekily, before darting back towards the surface. If Rose was yelling at him, he couldn't hear her. The young merman was used to her babysitting him, despite them being only a moon apart in age. He wasn't just a simple merman from the pod. He was the second son to King Harry and Queen Ginny and was never allowed to leave the kingdom for any reason whatsoever. While his siblings James and Lily (perfect James, of course) followed their parents rules, Albus did not. He respected his parents, but he was so fascinated with the world above, home to the two tailed creatures, that he couldn't resist taking a peak at them whenever he had the chance. Though he was frequently warned of the horrendous acts humans have done to merfolk, the more he heard about them, the more curious he became. 

Recently he added a silver item belonging to a human to his collection. It was long, but it could still be held in his hand, and it had four sharp points at the end. He was eager to ask his friend Teddy about it, since he lived on land and sea. 

  


Albus popped his head out of the water, resting his arms on a large rock. To his delight, a small seagull with a tuft of blue feathers on its head fluttered towards him, landing on the rock. 

  


"Teddy!" Albus exclaimed. "How are you?" 

"Well if isn't the little prince." Teddy teased. 

Albus rolled his eyes. "Eugh, I hate when you call me that. Did you see the two tail's ship?" 

"How could I not?" Teddy scoffed, folding his wings. "I flew right over it." 

"I wonder what they're doing...I wish I got a closer look." Albus frowned.

"From the looks of it, they were traveling Weast, in between East and West." Teddy explained to a confused Albus. "To land, I'm assuming." 

"Land." Albus repeated. "I'd love to go there some day." His green eyes lit up when he remembered what he found. "Guess what I have!" He pulled at the fork, showing it to Teddy eagerly. "I think it fell off the ship. Do you know what it is?" 

"Hmm...very unusual, yes." Teddy hummed, taking the object with one wing and examining it. "Aha, I know what this is. A dinglehopper." 

"Dingle...hopper...?" Albus repeated, giving Teddy a blank look. "What is its purpose?" 

"Well you see, the humans use it to...ah..." Teddy brushed his blue feathered head with it. "Clean themselves! Make themselves look fabulous. They brush their hair like this," He twisted it, so the feathers came out fluffier. "And voliá!"

"Wow..." Albus breathed. "Can I try?" He took the fork and started brushing his jet black mess of hair until it was mostly straight. "Humans think of such interesting inventions. Who would have thought using this would fix your hair?" 

"The human mind is insane, Albus." Teddy said. "The art they create, the books they write, the music they compose..." 

Albus' eyes widened in realization. "Music! Oh, Neptune's tits! I forgot!" 

Teddy blinked. "Forgot what?" 

"The- the performance I was supposed to put on with my siblings!" Albus groaned. "Dad is going to kill me." 

Teddy whistled lowly. "You best get going then. Good luck, Al." 

  


"Yeah, thanks. Bye Ted." Albus said gruffly, then dove back underwater, hoping that maybe he wasn't too late. 

He was incredibly late. Returning back to the castle, his heart dropped when he realized it wasn't just his parents in the throne room. His siblings, his cousins Rose and Hugo, along with his aunt and uncle were also there. His mum Ginny immediately swam over. 

"Albus," She whispered, hugging him tightly. When they pulled away, Albus caught a glimpse of his father, and almost wished he hadn't. 

Harry frowned, flicking his red tail back. "Where have you been?" Their matching green eyes met, Albus shrank back. 

"I was...I was..." He started, he looked down in shame. "By the shore..." 

James' dark eyes widened, swimming forward. "Again?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Al, you know how dangerous that is! They'll skin you alive!" 

"No one asked for your input James." Albus retorted, which he swore he heard Lily giggle at. At least someone seemed to be on his side. 

"How was it?" Lily asked, beaming, but immediately was silenced by her father's warning look. "I was only asking..." 

Harry rubbed his nose tiredly. "Hermione, Ron, can you take the kids to bed?" 

"To bed?" James squeaked, flicking his amber tail. "I'm almost twenty dad, I'm not a-" 

"James." Ginny said darkly. "Now." 

His aunt and uncle nodded, taking his siblings and cousins out of the room. James shot Albus a scowl before leaving. 

"I can explain..." Albus started before Harry cut him off. 

"Albus Severus," Harry warned. "I've told you time and time again about visiting the human world. I don't even care that you missed the performance. You deliberately disobeyed my one rule! Do you realize how dangerous they are? How many times have I told you?" 

"Dad I was only-" 

"Enough! I don't want to hear your excuses." 

"Harry!" Ginny snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Let him speak, for Neptune's sake. He has the right to explain himself." 

Harry's expression softened. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Sorry.” Though he seemed to be apologizing more to Ginny than to Albus. 

"I was only looking. Honestly, I was. They didn't even see me. And I forgot about the performance, I didn't mean to." 

"That's not what I care about, Al." 

"I know." 

"And those humans...they don't understand our kind. They mutilate and murder us. They destroy our homes, separate families, cause destruction..." His voice was shaking. "I can't lose you too." 

"But not all humans are like that!" Albus said sharply. "And I'm tired of being treated like a child."

"You _are_ a child!" 

"I'm seventeen years old, dad! That is hardly a child, and you know it. You don't coddle James and Lily like this." 

" _JAMES AND LILY DON'T GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO GET THEMSELVES KILLED!_ " Harry roared. Albus flinched, shrinking back. "I..." He looked at Ginny, who frowned. "We forbid you from visiting the surface. We will notify Teddy to never visit him again either." 

"No!" He exclaimed, swimming forward. "Please, I just-" He gave Ginny a pleading look. "Mum! He can't-" 

"Albus, I'm sorry. But your father is right." Ginny said softly. "We're doing this for your own good." 

Albus felt hot tears fall down his cheeks. "Fine." He glared at his father, hate burning in his eyes. before he left the throne room. Unfortunately, he didn't make it far before he bumped into his brother. 

"Well if it isn't the little delinquent." James smirked, ruffling Albus' hair so that it was even messier than it already was to begin with. "You and dad were causing quite the row." He clicked his tongue. 

"Fuck off, James. I'm not in the mood." Albus huffed, trying to swim past him, but unfortunately, his brother was blocking him. 

"He's just looking out for you. For all of us." James said, flicking Albus' tail with his own playfully. Any other day, he would have found it funny. Maybe when he was younger, more relaxed. But today wasn't one of those days. 

"You sound just like dad." Albus replied bitterly, refusing to turn around to face his brother. The last thing he wanted James to see him cry. 

"Low blow, Al." James whistled lowly. He reached a hand out to touch Albus' arm gently, but he flinched away sharply. James deflated slightly. "Albus I'm-"

"I don't need 'Perfect Prince James, daddy's favorite' to lecture me. Just leave me alone." Albus spat, swimming away, even more pissed than he already was. He hadn't meant it, to be so short with his brother, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be upset. He was tired of being treated like a baby, he was tired of being compared to his siblings. Lily, though she was younger than him, was more outgoing and cheerful. And James...he was clearly the favorite. Being the oldest, and the future king, that was obvious, especially from Harry. Which left Albus stuck in the middle, forgotten, dismissed. Perhaps that was why he snuck out, fascinated with human life. It was different, exciting. He wasn't doing anything outright dangerous. He just collected human trinkets that were discarded in the ocean, which he thought was perfectly innocent.

Luckily, he had a place to keep all of his human stuff. A small cavern that he often snuck to whenever he was feeling especially frustrated at his family. There were all sorts of items and knick knacks hanging around. There were portraits, watches, socks, necklaces, books, regular dinglehoppers, sharp dinglehoppers, and round ones. Most of the items were scattered around, but they were protected, since Albus never told anyone about his secret hideaway. His favorite trinket was a shiny rectangular box. It had some sort of magic, that allowed him to see his own reflection. Albus lifted it up, staring at his reflection. When he blinked, it blinked. When he raised his hand, it did too. 

"I just don't understand." Albus murmured. "How can a place that has such wonderful things be bad?" 

He placed the object down, sighing. There was no way he was going to convince his father that not all humans were evil, merpeople killers. He was too stubborn, and in some ways, Albus was too. But imagining what it would be like to be human only peaked his curiosity. What it would be like to have two tails instead of one, running across the warm sand. With one tail, you could only swim. But with two, you could jump and even dance. Humans had better lives, clearly. What Albus would give just to leave the waters, and stay on land forever. 

  


💧

Ginny swam towards her husband, eyebrows furrowed. They were in their room, though Harry wasn't facing her. Instead, he was flicking his crimson tail back and forth. Ginny flicked her own lavender tail irritably.

"Harry," She said at last. "Can you stop brooding for one moment?"

"I'm not brooding. I'm thinking." 

"Same difference." Ginny joked, though Harry didn't smile. 

"I'm scared." He admitted, turning around slowly. "About Albus."

"Me too." Ginny said, her voice soft. She took his hand and kissed the knuckle. "You shouldn't yell at him to try to get your point across though."

"I lost my temper...I shouldn't have. But he knows that's the one rule I impose on him. Lily and James listen." 

"Yes, but Lily and James are not Albus." She smiled. "He's curious, is all." 

"His curiosity is what gets him in trouble." Harry huffed. "Things were easier when the kids were younger."

"Was it?" Ginny smirked. "I recall a six year old Jamie stealing a dolphin calf, insisting we adopt her as a pet."

Harry snorted. "He was so upset when we said no. I felt awful." 

"It was better than dealing with an entire dolphin pod starting a war on our kingdom." She said dryly, moving his dark hair away from his eyes. "The point I'm making is, don't be too hard on Albus. As long as he isn't harming anyone-"

"He could harm himself!"

"Has he?" Harry opened his mouth, then closed it when he realized she was right. "Exactly. He's old enough to make his own decisions. He just has a bit of...Weasley spirit. They all do. He just expresses it differently." 

After a moment of comfortable silence, Ginny piped up again. "I did warn you before we started courting."

"That you're reckless and temperamental?" Harry teased, running his hands through her fiery red hair. 

"And that our children would be the same. But, you married me anyway." She pecked him, though this kiss lingered for a moment, Harry made a startled noise. 

When they broke off, Harry placed his hand on her waist. "It was the best decision of my life." He whispered, voice low. 

"Mine too." She said, eyes twinkling. 

  


💧

  


Albus returned from the grotto, silently, purposely ignoring James. Neither of them had gone to bed, instead were waiting for him to return, curious to find any information about what he was doing. 

  


James immediately swam over, thwacking Albus with his tail. "Oi, you can't ignore us forever."

  


Albus didn't look at him.

  


Lily poked her head from behind James, smiling brightly. "Hi!" 

Albus smiled, waving a hand silently at Lily in greeting. "Hey Lil." He said, doing their secret handshake they always did whenever they saw each other. James crossed his arms. 

"You know, I don't understand why you're so cross with me. I didn't yell at you for being obsessed with humans! I'm completely innocent!"

"I'm not-" Albus started. "Obsessed. I just..." 

"I think it's lovely." Lily said. "That Al chooses not to dismiss the world above us on land."

"Exactly!" Albus exclaimed, grinning more at his sister. "Lily gets it!"

James frowned. "Albus, you don't know what they're doing up there. They've already polluted our waters...and you know what happened with..." 

"That was one group of humans." Albus interrupted. "I don't believe all of them are evil. That's just being ignorant and prejudice." 

"He isn't wrong though." Lily said. "Just be careful, I think that's what he's trying to say." 

James bit his lip. "Yeah. That's all I want, Al. For you to not get into so much trouble. Just...listen to dad, okay?" 

Albus shrugged. "Sure thing."

  


But he was lying.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  



	2. His Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius gets rescued by Albus. Albus makes a difficult decision and James has regrets.

Albus' promise to never visit the surface lasted about twelve hours, because as soon as he had the chance, he snuck out once more, this time without his cousin trailing behind. With a sense of determination, he swam forward, and poked his head out, listening to the seagull cries and chatter of humans aboard their ship. And from the looks of it, the same ship he saw earlier.

His eyes wandered to the far end of the ship, taking a glimpse of the people laughing and drinking and overall having a grand time. Albus felt a twinge of jealousy, wishing he too could join them. One human in particular caught his eye though. He was tall and lanky, paler than the moon, but his cheeks were lightly dusted pink, likely from the sun. His hair was unlike any colour Albus had seen, it was almost as white as pearls, but not grey. Though he was a sailor, he looked well put together, and unlike the others, he seemed to care about his appearance. His hair was neatly combed, and the white fabric he wore on his body was buttoned all the way. Albus caught a glimpse of the young man's eyes, and his heart raced a mile a minute, practically exploding from his chest. They were a soft grayish blue with a certain mischievous twinkle to them, but still a dash of innocence and charm. 

He was the most beautiful creature Albus had ever seen in his entire life. He was an enigma, a gangly awkward mess of limbs, but Albus saw past that. He saw someone who felt out of place where he was. Perhaps they could even get along, be friends. 

* * *

  


Scorpius, in addition to not being a ship person, was also not really a party person. When he was young, he usually hid behind his mum whenever his dad hosted parties, and that was where he remained the entire night. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't exactly hide behind his mum or leave the party, since the party was on the ship. Just his luck really, that he would be stuck on a floating wooden death ship, with people he barely knew. It was Polly's birthday, and they all insisted on partying the entire night, much to Scorpius' displeasure. 

He had stayed away from the alcohol for the first few hours, but eventually he became so dehydrated he grabbed the first cup handed to him, assuming it was water, though it vaguely smelled of piss. Scorpius drank the piss smelling clear concoction, and though it tasted worse than it smelled, he enjoyed himself a lot more once it was in his system. In fact, he had the confidence to mingle with the other crew members, though he didn't remember half of what he was talking about. He somehow struck up a conversation with Karl Jenkins, who seemed to be the only person mostly sober. The two chatted for a while, not paying attention to the rumbling sounds above. 

"I think there's a storm coming." Karl murmured, glancing at the clouds. Scorpius looked up curiously and noticed too that the clouds were turning from grey to pitch black. It would be concerning, but he figured Polly would prepare them for anything. 

But she seemed to be occupied, since she was definitely a little too drunk, rolling around the deck, her scruffy black and white sheepdog Max barking at her in confusion. 

Scorpius reached for another sip of his disgusting drink, before realizing there were only a few drops left. He sighed. "I dunno Craig, I think we'll be okay. I trust Polly."

"Er...I'm Karl." 

"That's...tha's what I says, Daphne." Scorpius slurred, draping one arm around a confused Karl. 

"Shit." Karl swore, eyes widening and immediately pushing Scorpius away roughly. Lightning crashed, nearly striking the boat, startling everyone on board. 

It all happened so quickly. The storm picked up, and the ship jerked forward, as waves harshly crashed, sweeping several sailors forward. 

"Polly, you said it wouldn't storm!" Craig complained, cowering behind Yann. 

"Take cover!" Polly ordered, rain soaking her hair as it poured down. She picked up her dog, forgetting her crew. "Hurry!" 

But it was complete pandemonium. Sailors were running, yelling, stumbling over each other due to being panicked, and very drunk. Scorpius could barely keep his feet stable, so when a large wave crashed overhead, pushing him backwards, he hadn't anticipated it. 

He didn't remember falling off the ship, but any intoxication he had immediately disappeared once he hit the freezing ice water, soaking his entire body to the bone. He wasn't a terrible swimmer by any means, but with waves taller and wider than him were pushing him further underwater as he gasped for air, he was hopeless. He didn't know if anyone noticed he had fallen, but as he screamed for help, he was greeted with a mouthful of salt water, and he had no energy to fight the waves himself. With his lungs burning, he tried begging for one last moment of air, before the waves engulfed him, and his eyes closed, and he drifted off in and out of consciousness. 

At one point, he questioned if he was still alive. He hadn't seen his mother, that's who he assumed he would see first when he died. Death, specifically death by drowning was so much more uncomfortable than he ever imagined. No wonder he hated the ocean so much. It wasn't outright painful, despite his lungs feeling as though they were on fire. It faded away shortly, most likely due to his apparent death. He felt a soft hand touch his cheek gently, and if he had the strength to open his eyes or even just move a little bit, he would have, just to see who was touching him. Unfortunately he wasn't at that stage yet, since he was barely alive. A calming hum interrupted his confused thoughts, which sounded somewhat like muffled singing. The same singing voice he had heard a few days ago. Could it be? Or was he simply dreaming this, and he was already in the afterlife? The voice was crisp and clear, and to Scorpius, very comforting, like a beautiful siren. 

  


_What would I give_

_To live where you are?_

_What would I pay_

_To stay here beside you?_

_What would I do to see you_

_Smiling at me?_

_Where would we walk?_

_Where would we run?_

_If we could stay all day in the sun?_

_Just you and me_

_And I could be_

_Part of your..._

  


The singing was abruptly caught off, to his disappointment. He was starting to really like that song. 

"Teddy, I think he's alive! Look, see his chest rising? Humans breathe, see. Like dolphins. They don't use- oh! I think he's waking up. Should I go?" 

"That sounds like a smart idea, in case he freaks out when he sees you. I'll make sure he wakes up okay."

"Thanks Ted. You're the best!" 

Scorpius had no idea who this 'Teddy' person was, or if the people talking were even people to begin with. But by the time his eyes had weakly fluttered open, whoever (or whatever) was talking about him, was gone. 

He had to find out who they were. The person that saved his life. The person with the enchanting voice. 

* * *

  


Rose had seen a lot of weird things in her life, but nothing was like seeing her cousin Albus smiling, humming and giggling as soon as he came back from wherever he was. Just yesterday he was a brooding, angry teenaged ball of angst. It had seemed like years since he last showed the smallest hint of a smile or genuine joy. Every time his parents were around, specifically his dad, he had a permanent scowl plastered on his face. It was honestly depressing, but Rose knew he was stubborn, and would ignore any of her complaints. But today, he was like a completely different person.

James and Lily seemed to catch on too as they watched in bewilderment, not believing what they were seeing. 

"Hey, um." Rose cleared her throat loudly. "Have you two noticed anything weird about..." She shifted her glance to Albus, then whispered. "You know who..."

"You mean Albus? I'll say!" Lily crossed her arms, clearly missing Rose's attempt at being subtle. "He didn't even say hi to me when he came back. He always says hi." She sounded a bit hurt. 

"No, not just that." Rose frowned. "Look at him. Swimming in circles? Chasing his tail? He's acting so fishy." 

"Is he..." James' eyes widened in shock. "Is he smiling? Albus never smiles! Or giggles! Or shows any sign of joy! That's clearly an imposter." 

"I think you're exaggerating just a smidge." Lily nudged him. "Maybe he's just in a good mood...?" 

"Good mood and Albus are _never_ in the same sentence, Lil." James said, then called out. "Oi, Al!"   


Albus turned around, beaming. "Hi Jamie. Isn't it a great day?" 

"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother? You never say how great the day is! Or call me Jamie without attaching an insult to it." James turned back to Rose and Lily. "I think he's finally lost it." 

"He does seem...chipper." Lily chimed. "I like it. When he's happier." She grinned. "And I think I know why." She interrupted Rose and James' simultaneous 'what?' to say: "He's in love." 

"No, nuh-uh. No way." James shook his head. "There's no way he's in love. He's probably just...did he just swish his hips? Rose, do you see this?" 

"I see it James." Rose sighed, rubbing her nose tiredly. "I didn't think he had it in him."

"Whoever it is, I'm not letting them hurt him." James growled. "If they break his hurt, I'm sending a shark after them."

"You don't think it's a human, do you?" Rose asked, glancing over at Albus anxiously. "He keeps looking up at the surface." 

"Rosie, he's wonderful." Albus spun around excitedly, ignoring the others, clearly in some sort of trance. 

"We should keep an eye on him." James said gruffly. "Just in case. Maybe tell someone...?" 

"Or we could ask him." Lily suggested. 

"He doesn't seem in a listening mood." Rose said, watching Albus, who had already swam away after talking to her. "I think James' is right. We should keep an eye on him." 

"I'm gonna tell dad." James murmured. "He ought to know something's up."

* * *

  


Albus cradled the dinglehopper to his chest as he sat on the ocean floor, inside his secret cavern. This was his one sanctuary away from the judgement of his family. Even though the area was small, he treasured every item he found. Including the one he had dropped, the boy from the ship. The dinglehopper now was a prized momentum, that would remind him of that handsome boy he saved. 

"What's all this then?" The voice of his father said, causing Albus to flinch back, flipping around to face Harry. 

"How did you-" Albus swam forward, confused. He hadn't shown anyone his cavern, save for Lily and... 

"James showed me." Harry explained. He almost refused to believe James would, until he saw a guilty looking James peered from behind, not looking at Albus. 

Albus shot James a murderous glare at the obvious betrayal of trust. The one thing he had told James not to do, and the idiot broke it. "Why are you here?" He asked. 

"That's not important." Harry said. "What is important is that you stop all of this nonsense before it gets worse. This obsession- it isn't healthy. It's downright toxic." 

"What would you know?" Albus spat. "You hardly give me a chance to explain myself. You can't stop me from visiting the surface, collecting all of their discarded artifacts. I love doing it- it makes me happy. Why can't you just let me live, Dad? This human boy I saw...I think he...well..." He felt his cheeks warming up, clutching the dinglehopper close. He could have sworn he saw James whisper something to their dad. Albus scowled.

Harry looked taken aback. "You actually spoke to one of them?" 

"No! No, I just saved him from drowning. I didn't know he couldn't swim." Albus explained shortly. "And he dropped this the other day." 

"And you actually have feelings for him?" James spoke up for the first time. 

"I..." Albus looked down shamefully. Was it really that stupid? The two hadn't even spoken a word together, yet he still felt his heart race simply thinking of him. 

"He does! Dad, I saw the way he was acting." James exclaimed, slightly giddy at being right, even though it was Rose who had suggested it first. "He likes him!" 

"Shut up, James!" Albus snapped, holding the fork up like a weapon. 

“Is this true?” Harry asked, looking at the fork curiously, then at his youngest son. 

“...Maybe a little.” Albus said softly. 

“Told you.” James said.

Harry immediately snatched it out of his grasp. "Boys, enough. James, thank you for telling me. Albus, I'm sorry but I have to do this. It's for your own good." He looked pale, hesitating slightly.

"Dad, what do you...dad no!" Albus' felt his heart drop as Harry lifted his golden triton. It glowed, and the dinglehopper smashed into pieces, falling to the ocean floor, nothing more than a pile of dust. Even James looked shocked. 

"No, Dad please!" Albus shrieked, trying to protect all of the other artifacts, but it was too late. All of them were destroyed. Years of Albus' collecting them had been wasted. He shot Harry a look of pure hatred, tears stinging his eyes. "Please, turn it back. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't-" 

"This will teach you not to go back there, or visit that boy again." Harry said coldly, turning away, leaving Albus who was crumpled into a ball, sobbing over his demolished cavern. 

"Albus I didn't think he'd-" James started. 

  


" _GO AWAY!"_ Albus roared. _"Get away from me. I hate you...I hate you so much. This is all your fault."_

  


James obeyed, hanging his head low in shame. This wasn't suppose to happen. 

* * *

  


The moment he realized he was tired of his family, was that moment then. He was tired of being ignored and being treated like a shark in a pod of dolphins. It was years of bottled up frustration and anger. His family had been causing him problems nearly his entire life, but this was the tip of the iceberg. Somehow he had expected his dad to ruin everything, but what he hadn't anticipated was for James' betrayal. Who was next? His mum? Lily? Could he even trust anyone anymore? 

So maybe that's why he decided to approach the resident sea witch about his predicament hoping to solve his problem. He had overheard two mermaids talking about her, and figured it would be worth a shot. 

Albus felt an overwhelming feeling of dread, as if he was about to make a decision he knew he was going to regret. Ignoring the feeling, he swam inside the cavern, his growing anger and stubbornness taking over any fear he had. This was the only way he could finally be happy, and he wasn't going to back out now. 

The cave itself wasn't very wide, but it was dark and gloomy with sharp pointy rocks overhead. There were some decorations, most notably a glowing jellyfish lamp that was the only source of light, a bright blinding pink orb. To his disgust, fish bones were hanging off the cave walls, their dead, soulless eye holes made him shudder. In the middle of the room, was a dusty black cauldron bubbling a green liquid. A bowl of barely alive shrimps struggled to escape, clearly weak and tired. 

Albus looked around, his voice caught in his throat. He gulped. "Hello?" 

A tail brushed beside him, making him jump out of his skin in fright. 

"Oh I'm so sorry." A feminine voice sneered. "I didn't mean to scare you. I have that effect on people, you see. Being isolated does that to you." 

Turning around, he was face to face with two black eyes. She looked like a regular mermaid with a pointed face, silver hair with electric blue tips at the ends, except her tail wasn't a fish, but a dolphin tail instead. Two eels coiled around her arms, glaring at Albus with their bulging yellow eyes. 

"I...understand that." Albus said, hating how soft his voice sounded. "I'm er- um- Albus." 

"Nice to meet you 'Er Um Albus.'" She giggled. "I'm Delphini. Delphi." She picked up the bowl of shrimps, plucked the one closest to the edge of the bowl, and popped it in her mouth, alive and all. She crunched it loudly, which only made Albus cringe in discomfort at the noise, pretending the creature hadn't been struggling to escape mere seconds ago. "Want one?" 

Albus shook his head, trying not to vomit. Delphi shrugged. 

"Suit yourself." She said casually, placing the bowl down. "How can I help you, Albus?" 

Albus relaxed his tense shoulders, comforted at her tone. "Well, it's kinda silly really." 

Delphi gave him a quizzical look, gesturing for him to sit down, he obliged, taking a seat on a clam chair. He fiddled uncomfortably with his hands, tracing the gills with his fingernails. "I want to be human, you see. This isn't...this isn't just a decision I've made on a whim, you see. I've wanted to at least visit the surface ever since I was small, barely a guppy." He laughed lightly. "My parents thought I was mad." 

"I don't blame you." Delphi said, sharing a smile with him. "For wanting to see the world beyond the ocean." 

"Exactly!" Albus exclaimed, eyes bright. "There are so many wonderful things there- oh I could tell you!" He stopped himself. "Anyway, I saw...a boy." He blushed, trailing off. "On the human ship." 

"Ah, there it is." Delphi nodded at one of the eels. "You want to see the boy. That's why you wish to see the surface."

"Not just him!" Albus sputtered, his cheeks flushed. "I'd love to see the human world too but erm...seeing him...being with him would be...incredible." 

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Albus." Delphi said kindly. "You see, my job is to help poor unfortunate merfolk like yourself." She pinched his cheeks. "I admit my reputation hasn't been the best...but I've mended all my ways, to be more helpful. And fortunately for you, my dear, I know a little magic." She waved her hand and a swirl of green sparks erupted from it in a circle. "It's a talent, truly I love to possess. I go about my days helping those who are miserable, lonely, depressed..." She trailed off. 

"Those poor unfortunate souls need my assistance. See for instance," A silhouette of a mermaid appeared reflecting inside the cauldron. "This one, wanted to be thinner. And that one," Another, this time a merman appeared. "wants to get the girl. And of course, I help them." 

Albus' watched in awe as the two figures danced together, then disappeared. "So...you're saying I can become human?" 

"For three days, I can." Delphi said. "You see, magic is very finicky. I can't just wave a wand and suddenly you grow legs. The rules for this particular spell are very simple. In order to stay human forever, you've got to get your dear man to kiss you. And not just any kiss, oh no. An act of true love's love kiss. If you do that before the sun goes down on the third day, you remain human forever." 

"And...if I don't?" Albus' voice cracked. 

"You turn back into a merman, and your soul belongs to me." Delphi said, her lips curling into what looked like a sneer.

"If I become human...I'll never see my parents or siblings again?" 

"Hmmm yes, but you'll have your man. Life is full of such tough choices innit?" Delphi cackled. "Oh that reminds me. We haven't discussed the subject of payment..." 

"But I don't have any..."

"I'm not asking for much. Just a token, a trifle. You'll hardly miss it at all. What I want is...your voice." 

"My...my voice?" His hand subconsciously touched his throat. 

"Yep, no more talking, laughing, singing, zip." She mimed zipping her lips. 

"But without my voice...how can I-" 

"You'll have your looks. Your handsome face. Oh, and don't underestimate the importance of body language!" Delphi said, wiggling her hips suggestively. "You'll be fine. So, do we have a deal?" She snapped her fingers and a long roll of parchment appeared, along with a quill. 

Albus' moment of hesitation was short lived. Perhaps it was the current boiling hatred he felt for his dad, because he snatched the quill and scribbled his name down in an instant. "We do." He said, his voice emotionless. 

"Excellent." Delphi smirked. "Now sing for me." 

Albus nodded, singing softly, the sound leaving his throat almost instantly, escaping into the mouth of the clam necklace she wore around her neck. He closed his eyes, bracing for pain, but instead, he felt a warm sensation around him. Gold magic swirled around him, near his tail, separating them into two pairs of legs. There was a sharp pain that felt like knives digging into the lower half of his body, but it was quick at least. 

"It worked." He heard Delphi say before he swam quickly up to the surface, his vision foggy.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super proud of this chapter, but here we go! I hope you guys enjoy. Also sorry a LOT of things go down in this chapter XD

**Author's Note:**

> Hii all! I know it's been a while since I've updated Prince and The Potter, but currently that story is on a short hiatus. I got inspired while watching The Little Mermaid on Disney+ 😂
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!!


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